Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Sustainability in Fiber Composites

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Materials Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 11598

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Manuela List

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Campus Burghausen, Technical University of Applied Science Rosenheim, Burghausen, Germany
Interests: functional monomers; natural, synthetic, sustainable polymers; additives; polymer composites; synthesis/ polymerization; characterization; synthesis/processing/structure-property relationships; recycling; biodegradability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the aim of protecting the climate and natural resources, the requirements for material and energy efficiency are increasing. Due to the increasing environmental awareness of the population and the knowledge that crude oil is a finite resource, interest in natural fiber-reinforced plastics has been increasing rapidly for several years. Fiber-reinforced plastics, on one hand, are inexpensive and, on the other, have strengths that make them suitable for structural components. The variety of materials is extraordinarily large. There are fiber materials based on glass, carbon, basalt, aramid, and natural fibers that can be spun, laid, and woven in different processing methods and then embedded in plastics. The result is a large variety of materials and, thus, a very wide range of applications. With the use in products, the need for waste treatment and usability grows. Recycling concepts are therefore necessary, and recyclability should be an important factor in the choice of material. This Special Issue will focus on:

Use of renewable raw materials and recycled materials, their influence on properties, and aspects of sustainability;
Recycling, recovery, and usability technologies;
Characterization;
Environmental emissions in the production process;
Effects on life-cycle assessment.

Dr. Manuela List
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainability
fiber composites
recycling
renewable materials
manufacturing process
characterization
resource efficiency
emissions
degradation

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

14 pages, 3463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Temperature Fibre Direct Compounding of Cellulose Fibres into PA6

by Janez Slapnik, Yuanxi Liu, Robert Kupfer, Thomas Lucyshyn, Blaž Nardin and Gerald Pinter

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6600; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15196600 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1370

Abstract

This study reports on the development of a novel polymer processing approach that combines low-temperature (LT) processing and fibre direct compounding (FDC) to reduce the thermal stress on thermosensitive components that occurs during compounding and subsequent injection moulding (IM). Composites based on polyamide 6 (PA6) and cellulose fibres (CeF) were prepared using an LT-FDC process and in parallel with a conventional approach using a twin-screw extruder and IM. The morphological, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the prepared samples were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), colorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests. Composites prepared using LT-FDC exhibited worse fibre dispersion but lower fibre degradation. In comparison to neat PA6, the LT-FDC composites had increased tensile modulus (E_t) and storage modulus (E′) at 120 °C by up to 32% and 50%, respectively, while the tensile strength (σ_m) decreased by 20%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 7653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Effective Performance of Sandwich Panel with Petal Star-Triangular Core Using VAM-Based Equivalent Model

by Xinlong Yang, Zhen Wang, Yifeng Zhong and Rong Liu

Materials 2022, 15(18), 6407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15186407 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1320

Abstract

On the basis of star-shaped core sandwich panel, a novel sandwich panel with petal-triangle core (SP-PSC) was proposed to improve the negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) effect while retaining the characteristics of light weight and high strength. To study the complex structure more conveniently and quickly, a variational asymptotic method-based equivalent two-dimensional model (2D-EPM) was developed. The accuracy and efficiency of 2D-EPM were verified by the three-point bending experiment data and the 3D FE model results under different boundary and load conditions. The effects of the geometric parameters on the equivalent stiffness, buckling, natural frequency and NPR effect were also investigated. To increase the NPR of SP-PSC, the material of facesheet was changed from isotropic material to unidirectional CFPR material, and the influence of the material anisotropy on the NPR effect of SP-PSC was investigated. It is found that the NPR of SP-PSC increased first and then decreased with the increase in the fiber angle, reaching the maximum value at 40–

50^{\circ}

. At the same time, this law is applicable to SP-PSC with different material or geometric parameters. Finally, two improved cores, petal star-triangular core with X-shaped ligaments (PSC-X) and double-arc star-shaped core (DSC), were proposed and compared with SP-PSC in equivalent stiffness and recovered local fields to demonstrate their advantages. Compared with the original plate, the stress concentration and equivalent stiffness of the two improved PSCs significantly improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Mechanical Properties Related to Fiber Length of Closed-Loop-Recycled Offcuts of a Thermoplastic Fiber Composites (Organo Sheets)

by Sabine Hummel, Katharina Obermeier, Katja Zier, Sandra Krommes, Michael Schemme and Peter Karlinger

Materials 2022, 15(11), 3872; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15113872 - 29 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2481

Abstract

Increasing demand for energy-efficient means of transport has steadily intensified the trend towards lightweight components. Thermoplastic glass fiber composites (organo sheets) play a major role in the production of functional automotive components. Organo sheets are cut, shaped and functionalized by injection molding to produce hybrid components, such as those used in car door modules. The cutting process produces a considerable amount of production waste, which has thus far been thermally recycled. This study develops a closed mechanical recycling process and analyzes the different steps of the process. The offcuts were shredded using two shredding methods and implemented directly in the injection-molding process. Using tensile tests and impact bending tests, the material properties of the recycled materials were compared with the virgin material. In addition, fiber length degradation via the injection-molding process and the influence of the waterjet-cutting process on the mechanical properties are investigated. Recycled offcuts are both comparable to new material in terms of mechanical properties and usability, and are also economically and ecologically advantageous. Recycling polypropylene waste with glass fiber reinforcement in a closed loop is an effective way to reduce industrial waste in a sustainable and economical production process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3057 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics

by Sebastian Wiedl, Peter Karlinger, Michael Schemme, Manuela List and Holger Ruckdäschel

Materials 2022, 15(9), 3393; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15093393 - 09 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1570

Abstract

The necessity for resource-efficient manufacturing technologies requires new developments within the field of plastic processing. Lightweight design using wood fibers as sustainable reinforcement for thermoplastics might be one solution. The processing of wood fibers requires special attention to the applied thermal load. Even at low processing temperatures, the influence of the dwell time, temperature and shear force is critical to ensure the structural integrity of fibers. Therefore, this article compares different compounding rates for polypropylene with wood fibers and highlights their effects on the olfactory, visual and mechanical properties of the injection-molded part. The study compares one-step processing, using an injection-molding compounder (IMC), with two-step processing, using a twin-scew-extruder (TSE), a heating/cooling mixer (HCM) and an internal mixer (IM) with subsequent injection molding. Although the highest fiber length was achieved by using the IMC, the best mechanical properties were achieved by the HCM and IM. The measured oxidation induction time and volatile organic compound content indicate that the lowest amount of thermal damage occurred when using the HCM and IM. The advantage of one-time melting was evened out by the dwell time. The reinforcement of thermoplastics by wood fibers depends more strongly on the structural integrity of the fibers compared to their length and homogeneity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 6125 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermoplastic Hybrid Composites with Wood Fibers: Bond Strength of Back-Injected Structures

by Frederik Obermeier, Peter Karlinger, Michael Schemme and Volker Altstädt

Materials 2022, 15(7), 2473; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15072473 - 27 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2419

Abstract

Due to their lightweight potential and good eco-balance, thermoplastic hybrid composites with natural fiber reinforcement have long been used in the automotive industry. A good alternative to natural fibers is wood fibers, which have similar properties but are also a single-material solution using domestic raw materials. However, there has been hardly any research into wood fibers in thermoplastic back-injected hybrid composites. This article compares the bond strength of an injection molded rib from polypropylene (PP) and wood fibers to different non-wovens. The non-wovens consisted of wood fibers (spruce) or alternatively natural fibers (kenaf, hemp), both with a polypropylene matrix. Pull-off and instrumented puncture impact tests show that, given similar parameters, the natural and wood-fiber-hybrid composites exhibit very similar trends in bond strength. Further tests using viscosity measurements, microscopy, and computed tomography confirm the results. Wood-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic hybrid composites can thus compete with the natural fiber composites in terms of their mechanical behavior and therefore present a good alternative in technical semi-structural applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 5566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Repair Procedure for CFRP Components Instead of EOL

by David Rabe, Philippa Ruth Christine Böhnke, Iris Kruppke, Eric Häntzsche and Chokri Cherif

Materials 2021, 14(11), 2711; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14112711 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

Today, numerous carbon fiber (CF) reinforced plastic (CFRP) components are in continuous usage under harsh environmental conditions. New components often replace damaged structural parts in safety-critical applications. In addition to this, there is also no effective repair method to initially restore the mechanics of these structures using dry fiber material. The high costs of CFRP components are not in proportion to their lifetime. The research project IGF-19946 BR “CFRP-Repair” addresses this specific challenge. By using an oxide semiconductor that is activated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, the thermoset matrix can be depolymerized and thus locally removed from the damaged CFRP component. Afterward, the harmed fibers can be physically removed from the laminate in this certain area. A load-adjusted tailored fiber reinforcement patch is subsequently applied and consolidated by local thermoset re-infiltrating. Using this procedure, the structure can be locally repaired with new CF. As a result, repaired CFRP structures can be obtained with reduced mechanics and an approximately original surface. This article gives an insight into the developed repair procedure of CFRP components in an innovative and more efficient way than the state-of-the-art. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fiber Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainability in Fiber Composites

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI